My look back at 2007

A lot of you have been posting about your memories of 2007. I've been thinking and thinking about what to post. My post won't be as eloquent as some of yours but here goes.....

Isabella was born on January 11th and we got her referral on January 15th. Of course we said yes on the spot. That one 3-letter word changed our lives forever. After Jan 15th, EVERY waking moment and sometimes dream moments were spent thinking about Isabella. How do I finish the paperwork? Am I doing it right? What's taking so long? Waiting, oh the waiting!! WHEN is she coming home? Who keeps changing the rules? Will she adjust ok? Will she love us like we love her?

I admit that I had "tunnel vision" most of the year. Allen and the kids got put on the back burner. I'm really sorry about that but Allen knows when I get something in my head, I don't stop. I don't think I drove anyone else crazy, just myself. We went to visit Isabella in April. I don't think anything would have kept me away. It was all I needed to make her seem real and to fall in love with her even more. The visit trip is the only thing I remember from Jan 15th to Sept 4th, when we found out at 4:30 in the AFTERNOON that we had to fly out the next morning to get our little Isabella!

That night when we got her in our arms, everything fell into place. She was ours! She DID love us as much as we loved her. We were her parents and she was our daughter. That 9 months of a blurr of worrying, paperwork, and daydreaming paid off. Nothing else mattered. It's kinda like having a baby and it's so painful but after the birth, you forget the pain. Everything it took to get her here just faded away in my mind. It's like she was ours from the moment she was born. I truly can't remember or imagine life without her. Now my life revolves around 4 kids. I can now relax and enjoy every moment and make up for putting them all to the side for a while. I know my kids are ok with it. They love Isabella so much and they are so glad she's home where she belongs. I love sharing her story with strangers if they ask. It doesn't bother me a bit. So many people comment about her that it's hard to get through a meal at a restaurant. That's okay--we love to show her off!

The one thing I will always remember about Guatemala is spending time every day with Isabella's foster family. That was priceless and we will always cherish the memories, pictures, and video we have. They will always be a part of our family. We still keep in touch which is so important to me. I love them very much and Isabella wouldn't be the wonderful little girl she is without them in her life.

This is getting kinda long so I'll end here. Bottom line-- Isabella was my 2007.